Prolific cookbook author Sheri Castle takes viewers on a deep dive into some of the world’s most beloved foods. The lessons learned will inspire cooks to get out to local farmers markets and bring the bounty back to the kitchen.
Heirloom tomatoes were the star of a compelling episode of Key Ingredient on PBS. The show, starring … [+]
Compelling story telling
Castle has been writing award-winning cookbooks for years with 16 titles to her credit. She’s also a regular contributor to Southern Living. Yet, this latest project is the first time she’s hosted a show.
How did the Key Ingredient happen?
“I received a call from PBS North Carolina in June of 2020. They wanted to talk about a cooking show and, low and behold, wanted me to be the host,” she said. “Talk about unexpected. I can scarcely believe it happened.”
Thanks to the seasoned crew, the project moved forward quickly: “We plunged into coming up with the format and cranked out the first season a few weeks later, despite the logistical challenges of Covid. We were able to get out and about more with the second season, which debuted in May of this year.”
Each 30-minute show focuses on one ingredient, with Castle exploring the story behind the food.
Cookbook author Sheri Castle has found a sweet spot exploring some of our most beloved foods on Key … [+]
What’s the most surprising thing she’s learned while doing these culinary deep dives?
“It’s not so much as surprise as joyful confirmation that great food is often more than simply something to eat. Our local ingredients, recipes, and culinary traditions reveal engaging insight into our lives, families, communities, and culture. I love storytelling more than anything. It just so happens that most of the stories that I most enjoy hearing and telling are about the role that food plays in our lives,” she said.
On the homegrown tomato show, for instance, Castle visits with gardening expert Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes. He shows her his vast collection of seeds and offers a digestible tutorial on starting tomato plants. Back in the studio, Castle shares her recipes for a savory summertime tomato pie and a cherry tomato and black pepper cornbread panzanella. Mouths are sure to water as she cooks along with Yordanys “Jay” Bastardo from Villa Verde restaurant in Greenville, N.C. She watches him make his famous Dominican tomato and shellfish gumbo. (Watch the video below for the full scoop.)
Sheri Castle, host of PBS’s Key Ingredient, takes viewers on field trips to see how food is grown.
Growing the audience
Public Television is fertile ground for some of the most iconic cooking shows ever to hit the airwaves. Hello, Julia Child’s French Chef made its game-changing debut in the early 1960s on PBS.
What followed were legions of culinary stars serving up a how-to format for viewers to follow along, sometimes referred to as “hands and pans.” What sets Key Ingredient apart are the entertaining stories behind the foods we love to eat.
Castle said she hopes the show will help cooks gain confidence in the kitchen: “Stories beget stories, so my fondest hope is that watching The Key Ingredient will inspire viewers everywhere to explore more of their own local ingredients and appreciate their own foodways stories. Each of us deserves our own food stories.”
After the second season debuted last spring on North Carolina PBS stations, it was picked up by American Public Television, which makes it available to 250 PBS stations across the country.
“Both seasons have been available online from the start, but having them air on more PBS member stations across the country means that more people can discover the show by simply turning on their TVs,” she said. “Even though many of our episodes are rooted in North Carolina, people everywhere will see things they recognize.”
Stay tuned until the end of this segment for the brilliant suggestion on using pickled garlic:
